Jaipur: Commonwealth Games gold medalist in discus throw Krishna Poonia, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his 18 ministerial colleagues and 29 sitting MLAs feature in the first list of 63 Congress candidates for the December 1 Assembly elections in Rajasthan.

The All India Congress Committee released the list in New Delhi in Jaipur on 2nd November.

Poonia, who joined the Congress at party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's rally in Churu last month, will contest the polls from the Sadulpur (Rajgarh) Assembly constituency.

Besides 19 ministers and 29 sitting MLAs, the party has fielded four new faces - Urmila Jogi in Thanagaji seat; Chatribai Sahariya, mother of former MLA Nirmala Sahariya, in Kishanganj; Mahant Nirmal Das, a sant holding ashram in Balotra, in Siwana; and Bhanwar Sigh Bhati, a sarpanch, in Kolayat constituency.

MLAs Rajendra Singh Gudha and Murarilal Meena, who had quit the BSP and joined the Congress to support the Gehlot government, have been fielded from their respective constituency of Udaipurwati and Dausa.

Assembly speaker Dipendra Singh Shekhawat has been re-nominated from the Srimadhopur segment, while Parliamentary secretary Jahida Khan has been fielded from Kama, party Chief Whip in the Assembly Raghu Sharma from Kekari, and Deputy Whip Ratan Dewasi from Raniwara constituency.